Evacuation orders were issued to thousands as wildfires swept through eastern towns and cities within proximity of Los Angeles on a Wednesday, devastating mountain abodes and a ski resort. Firefighters from Los Angeles have confirmed that nearly 40 houses and cabins were ruined by the rampant fires in Mount Baldy and Wrightwood villages.
The Mountain High ski resort also suffered significant damage to its lifts due to the nearby blaze. In a rapid escalation over two days, the Bridge Fire in San Bernardino County, expanded to cover roughly 48,000 acres (19,000 hectares), taking the title as the largest fire within California.
By Wednesday afternoon, the combined fires had scorched over 105,000 acres (42,491 hectares) comprising of scrub, brush, and forest, an area equivalent to a third of Los Angeles. According to LAFD spokesman, Fred Fielding, the Bridge Fire has been the most dramatic single-day fire in recent history.
Mike Devestern, a 55-year-old inhabitant of Wrightwood, expressed his shock at the terrifying rate at which the fire reached his home, leading to the tumultuous evacuation of his town on the preceding afternoon. He likened the frantic experience to a scene from a movie, with residents hastily scrambling for safety.
Simultaneously, The Airport Fire erupted in Orange and Riverside counties, obliterating a multitude of homes in El Cariso Village and Decker Canyon. It’s numbers soared to nearly 23,000 acres (9307,000 hectares), as per local news and official reports. Reflecting on the dire circumstance of the evacuation, resident Ryan Lamothe, who lost his home to the Airport Fire, explained how they had to drive through the blaze to escape.
In response to the devastating situation, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, securing federal financial assistance to combat the wildfires. The intense heatwave, along with arid vegetation and gusty wind, is said to have intensified the fires in the mountainous terrain. Climate change has been flagged as the underlying cause of the severe heatwave.
The calamitous fires have resulted in various injuries, both to civilians and firefighters. However, hopes are pinned on the forecasted cooler conditions expected later in the week.
Due to the smoky conditions caused by another bushfire in San Bernardino County, named the Line Fire, people have taken to sealing gaps around their doors and a round of schools have been shut across a minimum of 10 districts. The local sheriff’s department made an arrest of a male, aged 34, on the suspicion that he instigated the fire on the 5th of September.
As a result of the fires, an estimate of 18,000 residents from areas such as East Highlands, positioned at the foothills of the mountains in San Bernardino County, have received evacuation orders. To avoid instances of theft and vandalism in the largely deserted localities, law enforcement patrols have been stationed.
The region is naturally prone to wildfires but the decision for firefighters to let them burn naturally has been obstructed due to an influx of people who have relocated from Los Angeles due to skyrocketing house prices. Many new homeowners face difficulties securing fire insurance.
Already, California has seen a land burn area this year that’s twice the size of that in 2023, attributed partly to fewer levels of moisture, this is according to data from California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
Meanwhile, the United States is having a severe bushfire year with around 27 million hectares (6.9 million acres) affected thus far. This figure comes close to the annual 10-year average of 28 million hectares (7 million acres), confirmed the National Interagency Fire Center data. – Reuters.